SOME OF these quotes will surely win over Irish fans.
Irish fans rejoiced last week when it was confirmed that Ryan Johansson won his appeal to Fifa to switch allegiance from Luxembourg to Ireland.
The highly-rated youngster is eligible to play for Luxembourg, Sweden and Ireland, but he seems to have settled firmly on the boys in green.
The Sevilla youngster, who used to play for Bayern Munich, opened up when speaking to the FAI, and said that Ireland is "where his heart wanted to go".
He said: "It has been a long wait but I’m delighted. Playing for the team will be nerve-wrecking but exciting at the same time.
"I have noticed the difference in the coaching between the countries. That has helped me a lot in my development.
“I do think that Spain is the best place for me in terms of my playing style."
But internationally, he had no doubts about where he was going.
"There are multiple reasons why I have made this decision. It was never easy to turn down a country that I love. I am patriotic for all three countries I am eligible for.
"But I do feel more attached to Ireland in a sense. My mum is Irish; I have a lot of family living there.
"For me, it was a no brainer. Ireland was where my heart wanted to go.
"There was definitely a time when I thought there was no chance of that happening. I had kind of given up. My parents had closed that door due to Fifa saying I was not eligible. It has been a tough process but it definitely was worth it now that I am able to play for Ireland.
"Like most national teams, I want to play in World Cups and European Championships. Anything is possible with the talent coming through the Irish system right now. I think Ireland can do amazing things and hopefully win some trophies. That would be the ultimate goal."
“It’s where my heart wanted to go.” ⚽️💚
Ryan Johansson opens up on his battle to play for Ireland 🇮🇪
You can see what it means to him 💪
Full interview 👉 https://t.co/iYksEFHhZw#COYBIG | #WeAreOne pic.twitter.com/TVUclPzcuf— FAIreland ⚽️🇮🇪 (@FAIreland) May 20, 2021
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